A/N:

As of May 2021, I cut up the first chapter, so it's not such a daunting read.

• Present Day

Harry... had a fun day.

He felt tired after exploring the castle with Flash... despite the fact he had been on Flash's back the whole time. Still it felt amazing and awesome and so sad that it was over.

Flash was once again in his human form, as they stepped out into the smoggy night sky of the surface world. Harry couldn't help but notice how the air smelled different up here. Flash ruffled the boy's hair as they began their journey to the dorms.

"Remember, the princess wants you to meet Lyra at the portal, tomorrow." Flash smiled, as they took a few steps away from the statue portal. "You need to report immediately after school. Lyra wants to try to use some spells to trace your family line. We might be able to locate some magical family members. Don't get your hopes up, as we might not find any, but I promise. You will never be going back to the Dursleys." Flash had always known Harry didn't like his relatives, that was practically a given based on all the kids attitude at the school, but he had no idea the boy's homelife was so bad. Flash was always a tad overprotective of the little ones at this school... but now...

Flash suddenly stopped as he heard the sound of a branch break under a hoof.

His guard instincts kicking in, he subtly reached for something in his pocket. Spinning around Flash pulled out a large cross bow from his small pocket and aimed it towards the noice.

There was a scream of "Don't Shoot!!!" and thankfully Flash didn't.

Flash jerked his crossbow at a bush near the fence line, "Come out of there!"

Harry's eyes widened as a small gathering of ponies, that came up to about his waist, slowly came out of the bush.

One was a grey Pegasus colt with a dark grey mane and purple eyes. Another was a pale purple Unicorn filly with a yellow mane and matching eyes. Then an orange Pegasus filly, with wings so small, and a pinkish purple mane. Next was a small and pudgy white Earth Pony colt with patches of brown in his fur, and one over his eye. Finally was another Earth Pony colt, a dark brown with an orange coat.

Flash groaned as he put his crossbow back in his pocket. "What are you lot doing here? Your parents must be worried sick!"

The foals looked down and some of them scuffed their hooves, "We just wanted to see the humans..." Answered the unicorn.

The brown colt tried to explain, "Mama Lyra is always talking about how cool they are and-"

The grey Pegasus kicked him and the brown colt immediately started crying. "Way to go Button!" Snapped the Pegasus colt, "Now he knows who our parents are and he's totally going to tell on us!"

Flash groaned, "I'm not going to tell on you," it be pretty hypocritical if he did, "But you better get back through the portal before-"

The Portal suddenly sprung to life. The foals immediately ducked back into the bush.

Flash sighed at their antics. Then smiled at just who he saw come through.

"I must have just missed you." He smiled and started walking over to Sunset... then stopped when he saw what she was holding. He gulped, "Sunset... what did you do?"

Sunset scoffed, "I seized an opportunity. Thanks for sending the entire Summit into a panic, by the way. After talking all day about what to do with the little miracle child, they crashed into their beds soon after they called the meeting. Made it easy to sneak around and grab this."

She raised the crown, the element of magic itself, the most powerful artifact ever created.

Flash groaned, "Come on Sunny, that's a real nasty prank."

Prank? Sunset blinked, but decided to go along with that. She hadn't wanted Flash involved with her plans, after all. "Oh Relax, I'll return it in a few days. I just want to mess with that foal Twilight." She lied, "She'll think she misplaced her element, and get in huge trouble with Celestia!" Sunset laughed. She was a great actress, if she did say so herself.

Flash shook his head.

Sunset rolled her eyes, "Just let me enjoy this. I know it's petty but that bucking brat was given everything that was supposed to be mine! At least let me enjoy this tiny payback."

Flash sighed. Then he whispered into Harry's ear, in a not at all quiet voice, "Definitely belongs in a troubled youth center."

Sunset huffed while Harry laughed. Though secretly she was glad Flash bought it.

"Don't worry Sunset," Harry assured, "I think it's an awesome prank."

"Thank you Harry," Sunset smiled.

Flash turned his eyes back at the bush, "Go home! and feel free to tell on Sunset."

"We aren't tattletales!!!" screamed the bush.

Sunset blinked at the bushes.

An Orange Pegasus filly galloped out of the bushes and smiled brightly at her, "I can't believe your pranking the Princesses!!! That is so bucking awesome! Just wait until I tell Rainbow Dash! I bet she would get a kick out of this to!"

"Language!" Flash snapped.

Harry tilted his head, having not realized that was an actual curse in Atlantis.

"But you say 'buck' all the time Flash?" Harry gave his best look of pure innocence, while knowing full well he was making Flash squirm.

Which indeed Flash did, he was blushing and squirming at being called out.

Sunset looked over at the bushes as she saw something move behind them, "The rest of you lot better come out. If I have to go in there, I'm tanning all your flanks."

Just as she suspected, a group of children hesitantly stepped out of the bush. They appeared to be about Harry's age. The only thing that really shocked her was too see so many colts in one gathering. Colts were pretty rare in Equestria and by the feel of these foals magic they were all siblings, or at least had the same father. Their Dad must have some pretty impressive genes.

"We'll just be going now." The unicorn blushed as she tried to steer her brothers over to the portal. Worried they might catch it. The colts, being good colts, listened to their sister, and started making their way too the portal.

Sunset couldn't allow this. She was so close but now there was a large group of children who knew she took the crown. One of them was bound to tell Celestia and then all her plans would be for not. The orange filly even said she knew Rainbow Dash, even planned to tell her!!! From what Flash had told Sunset about the current state of politics in Equestria, Rainbow Dash was one of the new Elements of Harmony.

The Purple filly tried to walk through the portal and ended up connecting with the stone of the pedestal the statue was on.

Flash chuckled, "Here," he smiled as he walked over and touched the statue as the filly rubbed her sore muzzle. "There is a trick to it." he suddenly frowned as he tried to pour his magic into the portal to activate it... but nothing happened.

He looked back at Sunset, to ask for her help, when he noticed her forehead was glowing. He rolled his eyes, "That's enough pranking for one day, don't ya think?"

Sunset's eyes began to tear up. She had promised herself she would never do this to her Flasher... but she couldn't let the foals go.

"I'm sorry, Flash..." Sunset trailed off, "But you never really understood me... you always saw the best in me and I wanted to believe it was possible... but I'm not that good filly... If Celestia taught me anything, it was that..."

Flash frowned, even now, not understanding.

Her eyes began to glow, "It's time I embrace the truth." she wormed her way into all their minds... even Flash's. She had come too far to leave anything to chance.

Unlike with the magical humans, she felt little resistance, at least nothing that could give somepony of her power any trouble. She needed to get this done, so she erased the memory of them seeing her with the crown. She even altered their memories to make them think she walked over to them from the school, as she stuffed the crown in her pocket.

• The Next Morning, in The Crystal Empire.

"How could you have misplaced the element of magic!" Celestia scolded as her hoof collided with the Alicorn filly's purple rump, turning it a deep red.

"I'M SORRY!!!" Twilight shrieked. It had been over a year since she found herself in this situation. Then when she had ascended into an Alicorn, she assumed it was no longer an option.

Twilight cried, and kicked all 4 of her pony legs as her flank was repeatedly struck by Celestia's hoof. The young mare's wings and tail were pinned to her back by the other regal hoof. All Twilight could do was cry as she was punished like a filly.

Ponies might be legally adults at 15, but all that meant was they were able to have sex, drink softer liquors (like Cider, beer, and most fruity drinks), move out of their parents, and work at a real job instead of just an apprenticeship. They couldn't actually vote or lick salt, and wouldn't be able to for several more years.

However these were all considered more legal "privileges" then "rights". It was up to Parents / guardians, and legally appointed mentors, to dictate if their charge was mature enough to handle these privileges. With the right to still punish them should their charge act against their wishes. Even most crimes were still punishable by spankings for anypony under 30.

Ponies slowly got more and more privileges that eventually became rights when they turned 30. This way they weren't thrusted into adulthood all at once.

Many parents trust the foal's mentor to look out for the interest of their child after they come of age, at 15. Other foals have mentors appointed for them long before that. With private tutors teaching them their desired trade and magic abilities in addition to school. Usually the mentor is a family member, or a close family friend.

Twilight might be legally an adult, of 16, but because of how adulthood works in Equestria most still saw and treated her as a child... at least until her wings grew in a few moons ago. Now many creatures ignored her age in favor of her title... it might have gone to her head...

Twilight yelped as she got a particularly hard smack.

"Don't start crawling into that head of your's," Celestia scolded, "I want you here, feeling every smack."

"Y-yes Princess!" Twilight cried.

That wasn't fair at all! Celestia usually didn't mind when Twilight started thinking about statistics, scientific theories, or laws. They helped her distract herself from the pain, though she still felt it. It just helped her cope with them better.

"Your highness?"

Twilight's face exploded as she heard a new voice, while Celestia didn't even pause in the beating.

A stuffy looking mare, with glasses and a clip board, just walked into Celestia's private room in the Crystal Castle. The unicorn didn't even bat an eye, seeing Twilight over her mentor's lap, getting a spanking. It's not like she hadn't walked in on this a thousand times before... regardless... it was embarrassing as all Tartarus.

Twilight was a Princess now. She definitely shouldn't still get spanked and under no circumstances should anypony be allowed to know she does.

"Yes Raven?" Celestia still wasn't letting up, but was willing to hear what her unicorn assistant had to say.

Raven never interrupted one of Twilight's punishments unless it was important.

"Lady Rainbow wishes to speak to you. She says it's urgent." Raven announced, "She is with a filly who claims to have seen the element of magic."